Chapter Thirty Four: The White Wolf
"That'll be 5 Lien, kid." The deep friendly bellow comes out. Carmine stands at the counter, paying and bidding respectfully as he takes a bag. He walks out from the Ma and Pop Dust shop, out to the streets of the port town. His eyes were half lidded, looking disinterested in the world around as vehicles rove by.
Back at the Mistral border town, Bellhaven, a mere couple miles from CRBN's home, the boy marches about to different shops for supplies. Snacks, utility needs, each stop ends with him marching back to a parking lot where the team's van sits. He removes a set if new keys, opening the transport and placing the supplies inside.
Sighing, he pulls out his scroll and makes a call. On the second ring, Blair picks up. "Yes, Carmine?"
"I got everything you had listed. Was there anything else you and Neo need?" He asks, eyeing the ocean waters by the nearby docks.
"Hmm... Nothing comes to mind. Any complications with Roman?" He can here tinkering in the background, but ignores it.
"Nah. The ship he took is on a two day speed trip, so we got 48 hours away from his Romanness." He answers with a small smirk. Roman, being the only member of the team recovered, had opted to scout ahead for means to sneak into Menagerie. Of course, bribing a local fisherman to make the course for him.
"... And just how are you planning on getting back? I thought he was PLANNING his trip. Not going yet."
Oh... Whoopsie. Carmine purses his lips and works his mouth a second to work. "Well... The thing is we had a duplicate set of keys for the van made-"
"No."
"But I can-"
"NO! You've never driven, and I'd rather not drag you from a ravine."
The boy pouts at nothing in particular. "Fine... I'll hike back and be there by night." He hears rustling in the background, unsure what is. "Uh... everything good?"
Blair sighs into the other end. "Neo is asking for pudding."
"Got Strawberry." He answers immediately.
"Then we are fine. Call if you experience any issues."
"Got it!" He hangs up and sighs before kicking dirt. "... Can totally drive anyway..." He looks between the keys in hand and the parked van. So tempting... Screw it! Make her eat her words. What's the worst that can happen-
A bustle of shouts catches his ear. He turns to see a small gathering down the dirt street. Shouts were drown out by one another in panic. Frowning, he marches towards the panic. The shouting dies down as many of the people seem to be gathered round a conversation between two people. A ram faunus middle aged man was disheveled, unable to remain still with a pained look.
The other was a townsman with a rifle slung over his shoulder. His clothes were dirty, belaying rough and hard work having been done. Or he simply doesn't clean his clothes. Carmine is more hopeful for the former. "We can't spare anyone right now. I'm sorry. We'll have to put notices out, but until the Trojan comes back in, we won't have access to outside help."
The faunus marches from the man, who grimaces before muttering something to his buddies beside him. As the crowd begins to disperse, Carmine walks up to the man. "Excuse me?"
The man sighs, turning to the boy with little patience. "What do ya need, son?" The words drawled out in a slight show of annoyance.
Carmine doesn't show his own irritation at the tone. "Pardon... What happened?"
The man crosses his arms. "A Grimm attack at a farming crop between the northern mountains, kid. Swallowed Calhoun's little girl in one bite. Stay in town or move south."
Raising a brow, Carmine ponders. "What kind? Can you give directions?"
The man scowls at him. "You think I'm in the mood for brats tryna play hero? Stay to yourself, kid." He turns away to speak to the other men. Constables? Closest thing to a force in the remote port. Well, if local law enforcement isn't cooperative... The boy glances down the road to spot the ram faunus a ways down. He rushes after the retreating man.
. . .
Carmine leaps a rock, moving up hill. He grimaces at the constant up and down of the slopes. He groans. "Blair's gonna kill me." The sky was bright as noon was starting to give way to afternoon. He wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead, thankful as the bright sun is obscured by an odd cloud. He continues on, repeating the old man's words in his head.
"M-my girl... She helps pick a rare thorn berry crop we've harvested in a marsh hollow that runs between the mountains. Layla, she-... she had two baskets full when I saw the Grimm break from the shallow waters. It was all in one crack and she was gone! It attacked us, but we couldn't get a clear look through the murky water and spots of growth where the berries grow."
Hmm... So it's aquatic?
No, too far inland. The only waters connecting to the oceans from this direction are creek lines. Fresh water. Resilient as Grimm are, they have their preferences. Swallowing a person whole rules out Beowolf, Boarbatusk, and Ursai.
Swallowed whole... King Taijitu? Going any larger might be too much. If Mr Calhoun and his other worker missed a Nevermore or Behemoth, Carmine will have to haunt then for stupidity. Still... burst from the water can fit with certain animal types...
The boy nods. Already killed the snakes before, so it shouldn't be too terrible.
Still... should be careful and sure, maybe.
He snaps his scroll out, hitting call. Once more, Blair's voice answers on the second ring. "Carmine? Is something the matter?"
"Yo! I'm tracking a Grimm for the townsfolk. Need a second opinion." He states casually, moving around a rocky turn as creek water runs to his left. He looks around, spotting the ground getting more wet and soft as he goes between the mountains.
As expected, Blair's response immediately was a snap. "Your aura has only just recovered, and you're still not at 100% yet. Wait for me. I'll head out and-"
The boy double takes at the device and shouts out. "NO! Look, your shoulder still isn't 100%. You're on bed rest, and I'm helping them. Just... answer my questions, please?"
"... You're serious?" Blair uncharacteristically asks, a bit incredulous. "Even injured, I am still far more capable than you. I should be out there for your-"
"Except you're staying at the house for YOUR health. Calm down." He nearly shouts back, rolling his eyes annoyed. Knowing it's from a good place, he tries to push past. "Look, I'm just wanting to ask some questions. If I don't like the answers, we might have to wait. If I like what I hear, we get some extra cash and help people. Okay?"
He continues along the creeks, moving under a natural land bridge arching overhead between the mountains. He recalls teachings from his dad as a kid. Eyes around for immediate threats, then look for tracks. If it WAS another King Taijitu, then similar indented trenches in the softer ground should show...
Nothing.
Blair finally answers. "Fine. What do you wish to know?"
"A Grimm that attacks from shallow waters like a swamp. I'm talking right up the bayou type of waters if it was explained right, but it was large enough to swallow a full person in one bite." He hops the creek, continuing on as more growth and sparse trees start to show, the creek watches starting to widen and deepen. "Am I wrong in thinking Taijitu? The farmers didn't get a look at it through debris, but are PRETTY sure there's only the one."
"And you're sure it isn't an aquatic Grimm?"
"Do any aquatic Grimm prefer fresh water? You know more than me on this." He quips back.
"Then no. It should be the Taijitu, but don't assume it's only the one. I'm syncing my scroll to yours so I can monitor your aura from here."
He double takes at the scroll. "You can do that?"
"I may have had Neo take everyone's scrolls so I could download the software."
"For fu-" He mutters under his breath before stopping. "Okay then. Tell Neo to keep her mitts to herself though. I'll call after I've killed the Danger Noodle." The two say bye and hangup as he takes two steps forward and pauses again. "Hmm. Bayou is a fun word... Traveling salesman, Bayou Billy, here to buy you a deal. SHIT!" He exclaims angry. "I'll have to remember that one for Roman for the next money making scam."
He groans and marches on. The growth along the creek, now becoming a stream, climbs higher and higher, moving to bushes then trees. The boy slows and glances at the waters. Definitely a few feet deep about. Is this it?
Looking over, the area expands out, a full marsh ahead with seldom tall trees and bushes about with varying types of berries and fruit. Types he's never bothered to try. That one's blue... he likes blue things. That's about as far as his knowledge of agriculture goes.
He draws Heulin Noon slowly and silently as he sticks to the outside. If the Grimm left, this might take time, but going into the marsh with a giant snaky boy doesn't sound like a good time.
. . .
It takes about twenty minutes for him to sneak about and cover the entire perimeter of the marsh area. Not a sign of tracks leaving. The Grimm must have taken the streams coming down the mountains up inland. The marsh had half a dozen water paths cutting through mounds of rock and dirt breaking the water surface for spots of vegetation.
No tracks in or out. Carmine looks back and forth. "So, either swam upstream, away from any people... or Snaky is still here." Hands to his hips, he shifts and thinks. "In for a penny." He snaps Heulin Noon up and fires.
BOOM!
The shot echoes into the mountains, followed by silence. Carmine keeps an eye looking about, but focuses on the bog before him. A minute passes. Two. Nothing.
He relaxes, annoyed. "Well, crap." He mutters under his breath. Need a set of tracks if he's gonna follow. Evidence, something or rather. With a dramatic sigh, he jumps from the edge of the marsh to the next landmass inward.
Gotta freaking search the inside. The boy begins to sift slowly around the bushes and thin trees growing in bundles. "Ugh... kill me." Careful with those words, he reminds himself. He searches one mound and its vegetation. Nothing. He looks around the waters. Dark and murky.
K... He rips a branch from a tree and the four foot wood to shift the water back and forth around the land patch. Nothing major stirs... But he does notice something...
No fish. Not just fish, but no aquatic life at all. No frogs or tadpoles, turtles, or reptiles. Something as big and active as a Taijitu wouldn't bother with anything that small... Granted, if the Grimm was here for a while, plenty of time to snack on the wee little morsels, maybe?
This process repeats for a time. Move to another patch, search the growth, stick stir the water, and on to the next. Nothing. Nothing. More nothing.
Strange.
He hops to another land mass, no growth save for moss engulfed stone with grown nubs sticking up white. Carmine steps across it, not five yards wide, but fifteen long. He uses the stick to jab around the waters.
Nothing. Again.
He hops to the next mass, checking the bushes... missing the half foot white protrusions on the previous mass twitching and bristling...
Searching around the new land mass, Carmine turns... and the mass he had just leapt from is gone. "The heck?" He moves to the edge of the ground where it meets the water, looking to the spot he'd literally just come from, where now only a massive gap of water remains. "That's not... right?"
Beside him, a massive silently rises to the surface, a three yard wide and five yard long moss covered rock... with two bulbous spots near the back... The spots open to reveal red eyes.
A light hiss sounds... and Carmine snaps his eyes directly at the mass. Eyes widen as he sees the entire mass of 'rock' burst up from the water... A MASSIVE maw of teeth. The bottom jaw is solid black save for the blood red tongue stringing behind the lower teeth.
He barely gets his armored left arm up and moves back before the jaws snap shut in a pounding impact.
. . .
Blair's form hits into the padded cushion, an annoyed look in her eye. She sat in their living room in violet yoga pants and a white long sleeve shirt. On the coffee table before her sits her notes stacked neatly beside a plate with potatoes and vegetables. Sitting beside her is Neo, in only pink shorts, a brown tank top, and white socks. She has her own plate of food, happily munching away.
The two partners were watching a TV movie with food, picked by Neo. A dark comedy, which didn't bother the blonde. Still, she would prefer to work. Who knew Carmine would be adamant about bed rest for the team? Granted, Roman was fine after only one day. Neo, on the other hand, was finally on solid foods. Blair herself was still annoyed with her shoulder and not being 100%.
She glances at her notes. Notes on Carmine's blood. The new ability she'd discovered, Carmine calling it the Multi-Slash, which she found ridiculous, was strange.
Movement catches her eye, and she glances to see Neo looking at her, a raised brow. "Apologies... my work is on my mind." Neo moves her hand, ready to flick up a sign, only for Blair to scrutinize her. "Stick to sign language until you don't know a sign."
Neo blinks surprised, shaking her hand open without using her semblance as she concentrates. Deeply given the look, as her hands slowly sign. "What is it?"
Smiling back and nodding, Blair answers. "I want to find out more about Carmine's abilities, but Fluorescent Finish vaporizes blood upon use... To test what's on my mind, I need to be able to analyze his blood after use."
Neo nods, glancing over to Blair's scroll on the table, still displaying Carmine's aura meter at 80%. "You might get plenty to use soon?" She again signs extremely slowly, hand fidgeting to not go to the sign book beside her. Despite the dark humor, Blair catches a slight crease of the brow.
It brightens her, seeing the kids back to being as close as before Sanctuary. Maybe closer. Near death experiences tend to do that. "No. Carmine's too stubborn to allow that happen. He despises blood too much to not recall it. Taking from him is akin to a strong arm robbery."
Neo locks eyes with her, looking confused. Hand hand is out, ready to sign, until she gives up and grabs the sign book. Ah, she didn't know the sign she needed. Blair waits patiently before Neo eventually signs out. "He's always hated blood, but I don't know why." She finishes signing before her faces lights up at her wording.
Blair holds up a hand. "I'm aware how you meant it. I know. It's far, far beyond what normal people experience." She grimaces, looking away. "No, actually I think it's more what the blood reminds him of."
There was a sense of... violation present. As if discussing the boy without him being there left a wrong taste in her mouth. Yet, with Roman gone and with only Neo, the two were far more able to speak on it. At least, coming at it from similar positions. So, she asks. "What happened the day you two met? What did you see with him?"
The two speak as Carmine's aura gauge on Blair's scroll instantly drops from 80% to 65%, dropping further by the second.
. . .
SNAP!
The gigantic jaws clamp down onto Carmine's armored arm! He was just too slow to pull fully away. The massive teeth stress against the metal as the Grimm lurches back. "AH!" He screams in pain as the metal is compressed, beginning to break into his arm from the insane pressure.
His right hand recalls Heulin Noon, flashing the gun up and pressing the double barrel into the beast's side. He fires twice, the shots lightly wounding its side.
"URRRRRROOOO!" It shrieks and jerks him towards the water. Its head lifts up as its whole form begins to roll into the water... As Carmine is wrenched off his feet... and slams into the water.
Pain erupts in his body as his blurred vision painfully alternates between murky dark water and a mildly lit sky. The Grimm is rolling with him locked in, the contortion clenching and tightening into his arm! The force of the roll pries his gun from hand, lost as he can't escape the bite.
He has to recall. He has to recall! HE HAS TO-
The Grimm suddenly jerks to a stop from the roll... and reverses direction... The force of the stop and reversal cracks open the armor... SNAP!
He disappears in a flicker with his semblance, recalling back and back to one of the earlier patches of island in the marsh. He hits the ground and death grips his left arm. "AH!" He nearly collapses as his left arm, left gray in the after effects of the semblance, writhes in burning agony.
He felt his armor give... He FELT his arm start to separate from his very body.
Eyes wide in panic, he stumbles back, leaned on the nearest small tree as he recalls Heulin Noon to his right hand. He aims up, finding the waters all before him exploding upward in violent splashes. The Grimm is still rolling at high speeds.
Abruptly, the beast slows down before righting itself in the shallow waters. He can only see the top half... A reptilian body with hard black scales and white bony spinal fins running three lanes down its back. It's too half of the head is bone white... at least, what's showing. The beast is almost entirely covered in green overgrown moss. It's two bulbous red eyes look right at him.
An alligator... an ALLIGATOR Grimm... First he's heard of it.
The intense pain in his left arm slowly subsides as he stands tall. "Jager." The armor flashes to his legs and he takes aim. "You want some?!" The previous panic begins to morph into anger. He fires two shots.
The Grimm tilts its head down and closes its eyes, the armored white tanking the dust hits without damage. Carmine narrows his eyes and blasts it with a double shot. The double blast strikes the beast's head, successfully knocking it back a few feet with a harsh crack showing in the bone plate of the head.
With a shriek, the beast whips around into the water. A large splash obscures it from view until the water settles... it's gone. Under water.
The waving splash washes over the mound the boy stands on as he takes a step back... The marsh. Gator has a home field advantage. Carmine snap reloads Heulin Noon and grumbles. "Where's Bayou Billy when you need him... Frick..." He looks about until he spots movement in the waters. The bony protrusions. Three clustered together, like the ones on its back.
"Gotcha!" He fires a double shot, striking directly on the water by the protrusion. The water bursts open... showing the tip of a long tail. The bony spines were at the tip. It was bait!
The beast was LONG as the water around the small island bursts up, the gator's massive jaws opening from the boy's side! He quickly leaps up, propelled by Jager to dodge. The jaws snap shut and miss him as he raises and lands on the high branch of a tree.
Looking down, he spots the Grimm angling its body up using the tree to push up. Its jaws snap wildly, brief hisses escaping between snaps. Carmine eyes the beasts clawed feet and aims for them, firing twice! Each of the front feet is hit as the beast snarls and falls back down the tree.
While its mouth is open, Carmine fires once more at its open mouth. But, the opening snaps shut, the shot breaking off a razor sharp tooth. Roaring in anger, the beast turns its head sideways and locks jaws around the base of the tree.
Carmine jolts and hangs on the tree. The Grimm cranks its alligator death roll, prying and ripping the trunk of the tree from the ground! With great, brutal raw power, the Grimm snaps the tree fully and collapses it towards open waters!
Carmine kicks off the branches and uses Jager's boost to halt his fall. The boost flares and stops his fall, hovering just an inch of the water. The boy lets the Jager keep him above the water as he balances himself and turns to face the Grimm.
The beast roars out as it charges for the water. Instantly, the boy's gun is raised. Second try, he fires right into the monster's throat mid roar. It recoils back, coughing out a bloody black chunk from its maw.
It roars back, letting its mouth hang open a moment for the sound... and something catches the boy's eyes...
The shot removed a chunk of the Grimm's throat, showing an inner core of black ichor. Inside that core, Carmine spots a hand. Just out from the clenching black muscles of the creature's stomach. There was red coming off it, but... the hand was moving.
… The hand was moving. A normal, hand, twitching, clenching and opening rapidly.
"Layla, she-... she had two baskets full when I saw the Grimm break from the shallow waters. It was all in one crack and she was gone!"
The old man's words came back. Was she... alive?
Paused by the confusion, the Grimm bounds into the water in a gigantic splash, disappearing under the murky surface. Carmine realizes his mistake too last, snap reloading and firing three shots into the water hoping to hit. Nothing responds to the pot shots.
A deep thrush sound under his feet catch his eye as his Jager boost doubles, propelling him up. JUST as the Grimm breaks from the water surface to chomp at him! Carmine looks down before the maw snaps shut, seeing the hand again... and some hand strands trailing back into the black gut.
Carmine propels himself away, landing on another of the islands. He can think of how insanely fast this thing is to swim between these points. He fires, the shot pinging off the beast's armored head plate. All it manages is scraping off more of the moss to reveal white.
He needs to think. Distance. Need distance.
Carmine leaps away as the gaping maw snaps at him again. He swiftly moves away, using Jager's boost to carry him across waters in a skating like sprint. He uses the islands as obstacles as the Grimm isn't able to keep up without a straight line of water.
The outskirts of the marsh have some rock formations as the boy blasts around one and stops. Heart pounding, he wills himself to calm his breath.
A moment passes with silence, save only for the calming breaths and sloshing waters. Carmine almost thinks it's gone until... he spots it from behind his cover. The slight variation in color. He spots the white just under the surface, moving around. Small think white protrusions split the water almost imperceptibly as the massive Grimm moves on. It disappears off into the marsh again.
He releases a breath, slumping against the rock. He pulls up his scroll, eyes wider with slight fright. 45%. Jeez, how much did that bite take out of him?! Had he been caught in its mouth a second time... he would have failed to save the girl.
He sucks in a breath at that. The girl... inside the Grimm's gut. How is she moving?! Was the Grimm causing it?
He shakes himself free of the thought. Focus. It's a Grimm, so it has to die. Don't fall for any tricks.
Carmine leaves his cover from the rocks, looking to the waters. The white under the surface of the water. It's coming back... Carmine crouches and calms himself. He aims out, ready to fire a double shot. A single double shot cracked the skull. One or two more may punch through!
From a higher position, he angles himself to have a clear shot. Grip tightening, his finger twitches to the trigger-
. . .
The body was mangled, face down. Beside it was a slender, blemished arm, disconnected entirely with red soaking it and the shelves around.
My fault.
Young skin peeled back revealing metal. The shredded sparking image capped off with lifeless eyes.
My fault.
Hallways shrouded in red, darker shades staining along with bodies about.
MY FAULT!
. . .
A haze over his vision dizzies the mind as Carmine stumbles to a knee. His right arm clutches his head as he winces in pain, a cold sweat drenching him. A shaky breath comes as he spots the white shadow in the water curve back around his. It senses his distress.
JUST DO IT!
One eye open, he aims, ready to fire-
His mind plays an image... the double shot hits, blowing the beast's head through... but the only sound echoing is that of a woman screaming.
Carmine flinches, Heulin Noon falling from his hands. His wide eyed gaze locks forward... The white shadow in the water was clear. A white cloak with silver eyes looking back within the water.
He jolts back, falling down in horror as the image blurs. The water breaks as replacing the cloaked visage is the toothy snout of the alligator Grimm exiting the water. It rushes out towards him as Carmine fails to move, frozen.
The great jaws open, giving a clear view of the hand inside reaching out, pawing for life.
"NO!" Carmine's hands fly up as his semblance activates on instinct. He flickers away, recalling back behind the rock formations around the corner. Flashing into place, he freezes, eyes wide and hand clenching his chest.
Time slows to a crawl as behind him, behind the rock, the gator Grimm glances about. Under it sits Heulin Noon, as it sniffs and flicks a tongue out over the gun. Dissatisfied, it gives a deep gurgling hiss before turning and reentering the water. The beast disappears from the area before Carmine can think. His first thought is clear, as anger, disgust, loathing, all grow inside.
He pounds his fist into the rock. "Fuck." He grits out.
. . .
Blair sighs. Neo had spent the past few minutes using shatter images of what she remembered from that day, when the kids had met. Carmine was alone in the woods, covered and dirty with blood caked and dried on his arms next to a body long dead.
Long dead.
Blair had an idea why Carmine was the way he was... Sure, losing parents right in front of you alone would traumatize someone for life, but knowing how he felt towards his own power? Towards himself? She shakes her head. "Frankly, it's amazing he's as well put together as he is."
Usually, Neo would add on to the joking nature of the tone, but... she stares off with a frown.
Blair turns her attention to the girl. "That goes for you too." Neo blinks and perks. "You have every right to be monstrous, given your own background. I imagine that's why you two have such an influence on one another."
Neo blinks and trails off. At face value, what the blonde says made sense, but... even before her life fell apart... She doesn't know why. She could just... sense when something was wrong with him. Pestering him in the back of her mom's limo before he could let his mind drift to whatever bothered him. Her face twists at the thought, disagreeing that THAT'S the cause.
Instead, she looks and starts to slowly sign out. "What about you? What messed you up like us?"
Blair's brow shot up, surprised. "Honestly... nothing." She looks off. "I grew up in a rigid family that pushed me to my limits to strive for something... I competed with my sister every step of the way, and they barely bothered us on a day after sending us to Beacon." She actually shrugs, a full casual motion ill befitting the blonde's demeanor. "Everything was goal minded from day one."
Neo rose a brow at that. That wasn't a life. That's duty driven slavery... fitting. No wonder the blonde can't human well. Her and Carmine both can't associate well with others beyond predetermined ties. If not for the police station in Sanctuary, Neo wouldn't believe Carmine could ever laugh and relax so much.
She smirks, signing. "Sounds about right." She struggles to form the signs for the words as she thinks hard on them. "I have trouble... believing your words sometimes. That you care."
Blair scrutinizes her a moment before a small huff escapes. A laugh? She shakes her head. "My old partner at Beacon, Rowa, said the same thing all the time." Quietly, she adds. "Maybe I am flawed, myself... but I cared about my team. I really did." A somber look comes over as her grip tightens on the fabric of her clothes. "And I truly care about this team."
Huh... Neo cringes uncomfortably, heating with a small blush. Now, they were sappy? ew. Gross. Yet, she couldn't help the small pull up at her lips. Quick to redirect, Neo signs out. "All of us? Even big and mean?"
At mentioning Roman, Blair sends a chilling glare at the little girl. "Let's not get crazy..."
Neo snickers, signing back. "Come on. The guy... might like us too." Her hesitation on the sign translates well as Blair just stares back. Neo can't help the silent laugh. She likes Roman.
Blair blinks slowly once. She silently stares at Neo as her hand reaches and picks up her drink, a glass of wine with a straw inside. Somehow maintaining elegance, she angles the drink to her mouth and snatches the straw and takes a long drink. Longer. Longer. Her throat bobs, swallowing as she drinks.
Neo's lips purse as she eyes the red liquid in the glass lower and lower until it disappears.
Blair silently pulls the now empty glass away. "I highly doubt it." The blonde finally breaks her gaze and thinks on the man. "We don't truly know anything about him, outside being ex AZRL and getting disgusting rewards from disgusting mob boss."
Neo taps her chin in thought before signing back. "Big family he hates!" Another thing she shares with him. Well, granted it's only one for her.
"True." The blonde begrudgingly admits. "I truly wonder what they could do to get under his skin. Most things bounce right off his demeanor." Blair glances over, finding Neo on her phone. "What are you... Are you just... asking him?" Neo taps and sends the text.
Neo: Hi Roman! Quik ? Y u h8 ur family?
Neo looks at Blair, nodding with a snicker. Her face clearly said 'why not'. Before Blair can list a myriad of reasons, a beep sounds for a text arriving.
Roman: No.
As the girl deflates, Blair rolls her eyes and looks back to her scroll- "Oh no!" She nearly dives for the scroll, showing Carmine's aura at only 43%. Neo takes notice of this as Blair furrows her brow. "He's definitely had a great deal of trouble."
Her finger hovers over call, only to be cut off with her scroll blaring music with Carmine's name on the ID. A soft male voice sings to an acoustic guitar. "Brother~ My Brooooother~!"
Blair blinks blank and looks at Neo, seeing the girl snicker at the custom ringtone. Blair scowls at her. "Silence, you." She answers, scroll to her ear. "Carmine! I saw your aura. Are you okay?!"
His voice comes out tired, strained, and above all... annoyed. "Pardon me, but..."
. . .
Carmine, laying on the rock formation, holds the scroll to his ear. "-I feel I was denied some critical... need to know... information." He groans and sits up, scowling. His heart rate remained high, but he forces his focus on the issue at hand. "First issue. Since when were Grimm Alligators a thing? I really wouldn't expect that to be a super rare occurrence!"
. . .
"Wait... You mean an actual alligator Grimm? Did it bite you?!" Blair stands, voice raising alert. Neo loses humor at the tone.
"Oh yeah. I'm naming him Chomp. I'll take him for walks and he can try to use my arm as a chew toy again!" The boy says with unchained sarcasm and frustration. "Yes, it did. I recalled out of it. I'm fine... ish. I assume they have to be rare for you to not bring them up before?"
His exasperated tone was him realizing he was snapping at her. Blair releases a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Yes, actually. I've only seen them twice. They're ambush predators, and slow travelers at that on land. It's extremely rare for them to be reported since so few people survive the first attack. A bite from one can break most hunter's auras." There's a slight hesitation before the boy responds. "Carmine?"
"... Uh, yeah. Powerful bite... Actually, I managed to recall right as it was ripping my arm off. So, not repeating that crap." Blair frowns at that information as she stands.
"I'm coming to help-"
"No." Carmine asserts, frustrated. "I haven't even explained the biggest question." This gave her pause.
"What is it?"
. . .
"I shot the thing's throat in one of the exchanges, and got a pretty good look at its stomach." He gulps down the lump in his throat before continuing. "The farmer's daughter. He said she had been swallowed whole. I-... I think I saw her. She was still moving. Does this Grimm have any... horror traits with eaten parts, or... she can't be alive, can she? It's been almost a full day since the attack, according to the old man."
"It's less to do with this Grimm and more the nature of them. If it's what I believe it is." Blair answers, voice low in thought.
Not a hope filling tone. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"
"Grimm hunt based on detective negativity affecting aura. They only prey upon beings that have aura. Seeing as studying Grimm growth beyond knowing some are older is rare, there's a running theory that Grimm actually grow based on how much aura they consume. In other words-"
"Grimm eat hooman grow big and strong like with spinach?" He simplifies, still annoyed. "Not surprising. Barely anything new."
Blair finally shows a slight curtness at his tone. "However, blood and decaying body parts lose aura quickly, for the obvious reasons. For instance, drawing blood." The pointed reference to his own blood anomaly catches his attention. "Grimm don't care for meat that's been dead for even a short time. It has to be freshly dead... or alive."
"And... what happens with option two?" He really doesn't want to know, but he has to.
"A living person inside a Grimm will gradually have their aura consumed by the beast... before their body will begin to digest."
Carmine double takes at the scroll. "Say what, now?" He meekly questions.
"Inside the Grimm, we do not know how its organs and insides work, but they actually sustain the living being inside, siphoning aura. Once the person is drained, they die and digest normally." Blair makes a thoughtful hum. "There was an experiment in Atlas using a Beowolf and a baby pig that found the Beowolf was measurably faster and stronger once the pig was fully consumed."
Carmine stares widely at the scroll. "... The heck did the pig do to deserve that?! Say it's his turn to huff and puff? God..."
. . .
"... Whatever, just- How long would she have if she's alive?" Carmine growls out through the scroll.
"Cases are rare, less than twenty recorded cases in the last fifty years. Shortest time for a civilian is twenty hours. Longest was a Huntress eaten by a Behemoth surviving for two weeks." There's a silence as Blair narrows a glare at the scroll. "Carmine, she may already be too far gone. What's important now is to put down the Grimm and for you to survive-"
He cuts her off. "What are its weaknesses." He pushes on, as if she hadn't been speaking.
"... Its back scales and top of the head are armored with thick body and hide. Weak spots include its gut and exposed inner jaw if you find yourself too close. It detests fighting on land, so cutting off water escape routes will force it out in the open and slow it down."
. . .
"Thanks." Carmine looks about, deep in thought. A brief thought comes. "Does this thing have a name?"
Blair seems unsure. "I... believe the name was something like-"
No fun. He cuts her off. "Too late. I'm calling it Termigator. Later."
"Wait! We will come-" He hangs up on the call, pocketing the scroll. Probably gonna get yelled at for that. He stands tall and leaps from the rock formation, ready to plan.
. . .
Blair stares at the scroll, slightly annoyed. Neo beside her looks amused. She holds up a shatter sign. 'Termigator? Seriously? His puns are silly.'
The blonde clears her throat, looking ill for a second. "Actually... That is, I believe, the correct name..." She watches as Neo's shatter sign falls apart, the mismatched eyes blinking widely. The girl purses her lips, containing a giggle. "Don't tell him he got it right. I don't want his terrible names getting that satisfaction."
Neo snorts lightly, holding out her hand with the palm out. The blonde indulges her and high fives her.
. . .
Carmine drops to the ground and marches on. A few minutes walk finds him at a large creek stream flowing into the marsh. He eyes it and the surrounding slopes up the mountains. "Hmm..." He shakes his head. The boy marches on, moving for the next one.
This process repeats itself as the boy analyzes creek after creek. That is, until he finds a large and surprisingly deep stream. He appraises the soils around, eyeing the upper slopes. Rock faces further up the mountain catch his eye. "Hmm." He repeats in a higher, impressed tone.
Using his hands to mime a picture frame, he looks at the rock face... then the streaming waters.
Nodding satisfied, the boy glances down in thought... Almost absent minded, his reaches down and draws out Heulin Noon. He angles it, eyeing the wolf emblem. The emblem paint was scraping off. Maintenance aside, the once proud red wolf symbol was now marred with scraped silver white marks. A brighter silver white sticking out from the darker gun metal.
Matching his hair, he noticed long ago. Yet, eyeing it, he was able to almost hear his dad's voice...
"Alright, Rascal. You wanna see something cool?" The man's voice. Even 8 years later, he could remember it clearly "No, not the gun! I know it's amazing, but this right here."
A melancholy falls over him, eyes on the emblem. "A dog? Is it a special dog?" He had responded... His mom was huge on showing him these books upon books of creatures and animals. In hindsight, maybe it was to make him more educated on faunus species given time.
"Better than special. This is a wolf! The greatest animal to exist!"
"But it's not a tiger, fox, or hawk." The boy had interrupted him. Carmine's lip curves up, remembering the face the man made, recognizing the indignation recalling it now.
"Those are... well... The wolf is special because it represents us, ya smart pup. It represents family. My family. And most importantly, now you and your mother. Our name itself, Uhlric, means 'power of the red wolf'. More than perfect for you as well, eh?" His hand absently ran through his hair, recalling the phantom feeling of another hand doing the same.
The man's voice continues. "Generations of blood, sweat, and tears have always yielded amazing warriors, and I know you'll be no exception. Each Uhlric has marked their territory in history. The social predator, a wolf finds their role. They find their goal... and they reach."
His goal, huh?
Carmine sighs. "Answer is the same as always." He murmurs to himself. "Save them. As many as possible... Save all the lives that she no longer can." Because my life doesn't matter anymore... he thinks to himself.
Casually, he discards his jacket, left only in his dark pants and gray t shirt. In one quick motion, he rips the left sleeve off. He finds a stick, wrapping it at one end with the fabric of the sleeve. He puts the jacket back on, now with only one sleeve. He holds his left palm at an angle from Heulin Noon's gun barrel...
BOOM!
"GAH!" He yelps at the sudden harsh pain. The shot scraped along his palm, ripping the skin open as red drips from the hand. Swallowing a scream, Carmine grips the wrapped fabric at the end of the stick tightly. He waits, wheezing in pain as red taints and drenches the fabric wet.
He pulls his hand off and jabs it into the water at the edge of the stream. The blood soaked fabric allows red to tinge off into open waters, into the marsh.
Carmine stands and recalls, flickering in place as the damage to his hand is undone. Wheezing in pain, he glances at his left hand, the limb twitching in phantom pain, despite being repaired. He clenches it, ignoring the pain as he focuses on the task at hand. "Take the bait, you hungry bastard."
. . .
The stain of red streaks and fades through the waters, flowing out into the lanes of the marsh currents. Faded completely, the scent remains. The freshness of the blood, all the way to filter through the path of the black mass.
The Termigator hisses in the water, air bubbling out. It whips around and speeds off. Traveling quickly the beast follows like a bloodhound. Onward, until it comes to the mouth of the stream. The very same it had entered from...
It slows to a crawl, entering the upstream and just barely surpassing the stream speed. From above, the massive white top skull of a gator head shows under the water surface. Until it comes upon the red streak's source. The Termigator stops at the stick wedged into the water and soil. The still form of the gator sniffs lightly at the blood soaked fabric.
BOOM!
Up the hillside to the rock face, a double shot strikes and explodes a crack up the side. A large section rock breaks away, collapsing down the mountain side! A second double shot strikes the mountain further over, causing a second concurrent landslide! The two paths of tumbling rocks crash down.
The Termigator jolts at the sound and threat. It recoils past the stick to go further up the stream before the second rock slide smashes into the stream, plugging the path and halting the escape route!
It turns around to head back into the marsh, only for the first rock slide to land. Chaotic smashing rocks land and plug the entrance to the marsh. The Termigator's head pokes from the water, eyeing the blockades. It's stuck between two water blockages! A shadow flickers overhead, pulling its attention upward.
Carmine lands atop the broken off rock. He scowls down at the beast now that it can't possibly escape through water. "Pool's closed. Out of the water, bitch!" He aims his gun and fires the last double shot. (An acoustic melody trills down, beginning a song.)
The shot cracks the trapped Termigator in top of the scalp, widening the skull mask's crack fully off the top. The gator recoils and thrashes in pain before climbing and sprinting out of the water. Carmine leaps from the rock to cut the gator off. (Melody repeats with bass, percussion, and depth added. A chanting "Oh~" leads into first verse.)
Slower on land, the Termigator halts, growling as Carmine aims and fires more shots, angling his aim at the crack now diagonally down its head. The cracks widen downward as the beast lurches back. ("Torches of war under hatred's sail. A whisper of doom on a weary breeze.")
Roaring, the Termigator swings right. Carmine stops firing, backing as the spiked tail whips around at him. He rolls back as the spike slashes at the ground. With its back turned, the beast uses its powerful bite onto a large boulder. ("Scorching the shores in a blazing trail. Cinder and fume foul the air we breath.")
The Grimm throws the rock from its jaws. It's lobbed overhead, Carmine's eyes widening as he leaps forward in a dodge roll. On his feet, the Termigator is turned to him again, lifting up its front and lunge snapping at him! Carmine barely leaps the bite, kicking away from the snout. ("Blood of fallen kings! Blades of chaos ring!")
Carmine lands, looking to see the gator making a run for the marsh waters. Can't let it get to the water again! "No you don't!" He fires, clipping it's forward leg and collapsing the beast. ("Steel and silver sing for justice~" Music builds to chorus.)
The Termigator writhes on the ground, turning its head away from the as he fires another shot at the head. Carmine looks as the side, seeing the thick hide and grimacing. He could fire there for a kill, but he'd risk harming the girl. ("Keen to the scent. The hunt is my muse.")
He snap reloads ready, only to gasp when the Termigator death rolls... On land. Using its short spines as tread, the massive beast rolls towards Carmine like a barrel! Carmine tenses before turning and sprinting up the slope, hoping the slope would slow its roll. ("Lost and aloof are the loves of my past.")
The roll remains strong, catching up quickly. "Crap!" He grunts out before leaping up with Jager's thrust. Narrowly, he avoids the bone spines as it rolls under and past him! He flips with the jump, landing flat. The Termigator rolls further up the slope before stopping... ("Wake the White Wolf! Remembrance at last!")
Wide eyed, he sees the gator roll back down the slope, higher speed going downhill. Too fast! He fires a double shot into the ground, breaking the slanted rock at his feet. He kicks a large broken off piece up and drops, supporting the rock piece with his body like a ramp. The gator hits the rock with the roll, compressing Carmine against the ground before rolling over and further down. (Acoustic tune with heavy instrumental repeats with chanting "Oh~" matching)
The Termigator stops on its feet, turning and hissing at Carmine. Carmine kicks the rock away and rolls to his feet to face the Grimm. It opens its jaws wide, lifting its head to bite down! "Zero!" Carmine grunts out, timing an uppercut. The armored arm forms as it strikes the beast's lower jaw up, snapping the mouth shut as it backs off. "Wake the White Wolf at the dawn of war! The end of the age is a comin' now.")
Carmine breathes hard, staring at the beast as it shakes its head, dazed... Suddenly, it turns its head back, furious! Carmine aims up and fires a double shot at the snout. The Termigator recoils a step back, more cracks in the mask forming. (music cuts a moment before rhythm comes back, changed. Tribal chanting sounds out)
It snaps forward, bite after bite as Carmine back steps frantically. It bites low and to his right side, away from the armored arm. "Frick frick frick!" He yelps with each dancing dodge from the snaps. ("Ravaging the rivers, scorching the shores! Fires in the night, the torches of war!")
Satisfied with the positioning, Carmine recalls away in a flicker. He appears behind the confused beast, immediately firing at the hide leg. It screeches in pain at the injury, whipping its tail back. The spike hits Carmine in the chest armor, launching him back hard. ("Ravaging the rivers, scorching the shores! Fires in the night, the torches of war!")
Rolling to a stop, Carmine winces in pain and gets to a kneel. The Termigator is turned around, hobbling its way over. He snap reloads, opening fire as the beast continues using its cracked mask as a shield. Cracks continue forming, fully splitting the mask at an angle nostril to scalp. ("Wake the wolf! Wake the white wolf!" Tribal howls sound as music builds.)
Carmine empties the cylinder if shots. "Gotta hope it's enough. Schneider!" Discarding Heulin Noon to the holster, the armor and blades form on his forearms. Still in a kneeling position, he shifts to a crouch and crosses his arms. ("Wake the wolf! Wake the white wolf! Yeah~!")
The Termigator stands with its front elevated as it lunges for another bite. Carmine focuses and lunges forward, directly into the mouth! The jaws chomp down as Carmine angles Schneider's blades. One pierces the bottom jaw, jabbing through the lower mouth. The other, with a violent crack, pushes a broken chip of the Grimm mask out as the blade pierces the inside! (Beginning acoustic melody repeats with build. Tribal chanting continues.)
The Termigator thrashes in pain, blades sticking out both sides. Carmine, locked and almost crushed in place in the beast's mouth, ignores the stench and slime of the tongue. He sets his feet against the back teeth for leverage and pushes... "HYAH!" Pushing out, the blades rip and slice forward, down the beast's snout, bisecting it into two sides! ("Wake the white wolf at the dawn of war. The end of the age is a comin' now!" music fades out)
Carmine flies from the monster's halved head, hitting the ground with no grace. The Grimm gurgles once and twice before the body hits the ground. It's head, split vertically down the middle, spills black blood and brains down, halves of the tongue splayed out.
Stumbling to his feet, Carmine eyes the monster tiredly. His eye twitches at the disgusting view of the head, yet... he can't help it. He chuckles in disbelief. "I won?" He almost sounds shocked. "Ha... I won!" He says more confidently, biting a smile back.
But he can't help it. He sheds Schneider from his arms, directing two middle fingers at the dead Grimm. "FUUUUUUUCK YOU! HAHAHAHAHA!" His eye lands on the hand barely visible in the beast's throat, his demeanor changing entirely to embarrassment. "Crap! Right!"
Flashing Schneider back to his arms, he begins cutting away at the Grimm flesh. It takes a moment, but he soon pulls what is indeed a female form from the body. Clad in tan shoes, brown pants, and a yellow sleeveless button up. Brown hair soaked in saliva and blood, the woman's clothes are completely soaked and ripped from the stress of the Grimm's inner muscles. Her body looks beaten and bruised from the event.
Pulling her flat to the ground, he checks her breathing. There's a heartbeat, but no breathing? What- No time! He immediately starts compression on her chest... only for the first one to get her to cough up black fluid from her mouth.
Okay, maybe he was overreacting... He helps her roll to her front as she coughs and wheezes for breath. He rubs gentle circles on her back, feeling how badly the girl shivers under the touch. Awkwardly, he starts. "Easy there... Welcome back to the land of the living."
The girl, Layla he presumes, glances up weakly with emerald eyes. She couldn't be older than twenty, definitely younger than Blair, but older than himself. The girl's freckled face is pale white as she sucks in breath. "W-w-where-" She shivers and nearly falls over, almost unable to speak.
Carmine eases her to a kneeling position. "Where are you? Marsh farm. Where were you?" He takes a glance at the gruesome Grimm body. "... A question for later in recovery. Don't look that way." He adds the last part quickly and directs her away from the body.
The boy moves to support her. "Come on. Let's clean you up and get you to your dad." Rather than follow the instruction, she looks at his body, causing him to look down... he too is covered in black blood and gore. "... Kay, let's both clean up a bit."
He grimaces towards the rock dams blocking the stream. He speaks up. "Uh, cover your ears if you don't like gun fire." The girl looks almost confused, but makes no effort to speak as he turns and aims Heulin Noon and fires a double shot!
Shot after shot after reload after shot after shot. The boy blows the debris apart, allowing water to continue flowing into the marsh when both dams are destroyed. Without this stream, the marsh would likely dry out. He sighs in relief and allows himself to fall forward into the water.
A wash of black and red taints the stream water entering the murky swamp. Seconds pass before Carmine breaks from the water, gasping for air and stepping from the water, soaked. Only lightly annoyed with his hair matted, he flaps himself of the water before holding a hand out to help the girl.
Minutes later, the two slowly march away from the marsh, Carmine's jacket on her shoulders as he supports her weight. Still weak, she tries to speak up, tired. "U-um... who are you?"
"Oh? Uh... No one special. Friend of your dad's, yeah..." He down plays, making sure first to get the girl home.
. . .
Now night, Blair maintains a narrow glare on her scroll. The screen maintains its aura power of 23%. She paces through the room, gear by the door. Neo's gear sits on the table, the girl cross legged waiting for an order from the blonde.
"Orders be damned. I'm going out for him. Come, Neo." She snaps as the girl bounces from the couch. They make it only a step from the door before headlights shine through the windows. The girl's share a worried glance before exiting.
Her face morphs to annoyance upon seeing their van pull in. Then confused and tense seeing a pickup behind it... Neo blinks twice before signing. "Visitors?"
Blair holds her tongue until, indeed, Carmine stumbles out from the van... the PASSENGER side. Another person exits the driver seat. A tan man with dirty pants, beige shirt, and leather gloves. He has a short brown beard and short hair under a beige hair.
Carmine walks up, tired uneasy. "Hey, Blair. Uh... visitors?"
"Yes... Visitors?" She parrots back, slightly irritated. "At our secret home?!" Beside her, Neo makes an o face, signing out. "Oh~ He's in trouble!"
From the pickup, the middle aged ram faunus comes out, a dirty blonde with a balding head, overalls, and dark shirt and boots. Carmine cracks a nervous smile. "Uh, this is Calhoun... I saved his daughter, Layla... and he offered to help get me home when we got to his farm." The other man comes and hands keys to Carmine with a polite smile. The redhead double takes his look to Blair and Neo. "This is his farmhand, Chris."
"Nice to meet you!" The says, quickly shying back at Blair's sharp look. Carmine continues to sweat bullets under Blair's glare.
"Look... I can explain."
. . .
CRACK!
"AH-HA-OW!" Carmine bows down on the floor, hands clenched over his head in a whine. "I didn't have a choice! He said he wouldn't accept 'no' for an answer cause he owed me so much!"
Blair stands over the boy, their 'guests' having just left. "Translation being that you lacked fortitude to just say 'I am a huntsman. I DON'T REQUIRE ANYTHING MORE!' Full stop!" He stops a second, collecting herself. "Not only do people now know who we are, but now WHERE, which defeats the purpose of this home!"
Neo watches from the sidelines of the couch, the groceries Carmine bought earlier on the coffee table. She sifts through until finding her prized strawberry pudding. Pulling the plastic top off, she grins and begins eating complacent in the background.
Carmine sits on the floor, looking up with a pout. "... He doesn't know exactly 'who' we are... Just that we're huntsmen, which will help our hunter cover. And. And. AND he's super grateful! No one bad will know."
"Gratefulness and him not being 'bad' is one thing, but that does not disqualify stupidity and human error!" She pinches the bridge of her nose, taking another calming breath.
Neo takes this time to make a sign. 'So, now we have neighbors.'
The boy pouts her way. "They live two mountains over! It's. Fine!"
"Oh yes." Blair starts off, mostly neutral with a hint of sarcasm. "So they're disconnected from us enough to sell us out if need be."
The girl on the couch finally rolls her eyes at Blair and signs on Carmine's behalf. "That's not even what you're worried about. You know it's not a big deal."
Carmine, still having difficulty reading Neo's sign language, looks between them. Blair's anger subsides with a sigh. "... Right. Carmine, I will overlook our 'guests' for the time being... It's more what happened with the Grimm."
He gives a tired look, but manages a smile after. "Heh. No issues. I handled it. It's been Termigated."
CRACK!
Fluorescent's sheath comes up from the fresh whack off the boy's head. Carmine is left writhing on the floor in pain. Blair cuts a glare down at him. "I am trying to have a serious discussion here." A stern look comes over her as she continues. "I need an honest answer. Not one of us is fully recovered from Sanctuary save for Roman. That is why he was allowed on his little venture. So, why is it that health is a reason for Neo and I to remain here, but you absolutely had to face the Grimm and risk yourself?"
The boy had the awareness to look at least partially guilty. "... My aura recovering slower than yours only affects stamina. Both of your injuries were physical, and I want you to get hurt because you were already hurt-"
Fluorescent Finish's blade halts an inch from his blue eyes, the speed of the movement blowing his hair briefly. Carmine sucks in a breath wide eyed, not having even seen Blair draw the blade from its sheath.
Blair holds a stern gaze on him, despite the slight pain in his shoulder at the action. "You are not arrogant." She states plainly. "I know for a fact that you do not make an excuse such as that believing that I couldn't down you at 10%, much less as I am." Slowly, she draws the blade back and sheaths it, maintaining an amber gaze in his blue. "Tell me... Would you have done the same if Roman was here at the house with Neo and myself?"
He was forced to break the gaze, a sting in his gut knowing she had a point. Yet, he opened his mouth to defend. "I-"
"We both know you still would have done it without him either." She cuts him off. "
A bubble of indignation hits as he puffs up with a glare. "You said it yourself! About people eaten by Grimm! If she had been inside it for too much longer-"
She's ahead of him. "A fact that you were not aware of prior to taking the job and undertook AFTER being bitten once already." Her glare narrows on him. "That is a post hoc argument and adds nothing to your defense." She visibly calms a moment, but the eyes don't soften. "The results of your venture do not absolve you of the horrendous conditions you willfully undertook."
He recoils, feeling like he's arguing with a lawyer. All he can do is look away. So, Blair crosses her arms and continues. "If Neo were tied to an explosive, and you had the option of saving her, which would you choose to do so if that option could kill you."
Neo jolts at suddenly being mentioned, feeling a touch uncomfortable. Despite the strawberry glorious flavor in her lips. Carmine has a similar reaction. "Of course I would save her!
The blonde's only reaction is a raise of one brow. "Alright. Now, you're tied to an explosive, and if Neo saves you, she could die. Which do want her to save you?"
His mouth opens before he thinks. "No, that's stu-" He stops himself, eyes widening. Neo straightens in her seat, focus fully on the boy. His teeth grind in frustration. "Whatever! What's done is do-"
"Are we more important than you?" Blair asks directly. So abruptly, his teeth click audibly as his mouth shuts. That's enough of an answer for her, a deep grimace forming on her. Questions she herself had been given at one point or another by Beacon's professors... Questions that narrow one's priorities for field missions.
Which sparks an idea. Perhaps there's a better way to have this conversation.
Music shrills loudly, a rock song, jolting the younger two of the three. The group looks to Carmine's scroll as he takes it from his pocket. He grimaces. "It's Roman." He looks at Blair with an expectant look. "He'd only call with information, so..."
Her eyes narrow, Neo almost thinking the blonde would throw the damned device. Instead, she visibly calms. "This conversation will continue another time. Go ahead and answer."
Carmine takes a moment before nodding and picking up the call. "Yo. You find anything useful?" He'd made sure to put the call on speaker, hoping the conversation would derail the previous one.
An act Blair didn't miss.
Roman's voice rings out. "Well, good news and bad news, Silver. Bad news is I demand a cut of your next job payment. Good news is, I got ourselves an in through an underground supply route."
Neo and Carmine exchange a quick glance, confused. "Wait... isn't Menagerie an island nation?" Blair facepalms as Roman audibly does the same on the other end. Carmine blinks before realizing. "Oh... you meant underground like... illegal."
"Sometimes, I'm amazed you function, kid. You need some unhealthy hobbies."
Carmine huffs. "Whatever. What do we need to do?"
And like that, the mood in the room was normal. The group would continue to plan their infiltration of the faunus safe haven. However, as night moved on, an idea came to the blonde. She would spend the rest of their time writing away at a couple of papers. Perhaps there was something she could do to help the boy? Who knew...
But something had to be done before the boy made a decision he wouldn't be able to take back.
Mostly a developmental side chapter for Carmine. Downtime with the characters healing and licking their wounds. Plus, hey. It's a RWBY story, and there haven't been Grimm in quite a while. C'mon.
I will not apologize for the creation of the Termigator. Keeping it.
Also, an introduced mechanic to Grimm in this chapter that I am positive isn't correct to canon, which bugs me in my head, but I think it's interesting/horrifying to imagine. Linking the ability to feel emotion to beings that have aura. Since Grimm attack and hunt based on being drawn to negative emotion, I felt adding the consumption of aura contributing to their growth to be a neat concept.
References:
Song used this time is Wake the White Wolf by Miracle of Sound. Yes, I am aware neither this chapter's title nor this song choice is clever. Do I care?
Join next time in Chapter Thirty Five: Into the Jungle.